President's Message

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It is an honor to shepherd MDS through what is proving to be pivotal time for both the Society and our field.  

Right now, leaders from across MDS are discussing actions that will determine future directions. All four Regional Sections are convening for Action Planning Meetings to shape their assigned strategic actions. I have been fortunate to attend the Pan American Section, European Section, and Asian and Oceanian Section meetings so far, and I am encouraged by the enthusiasm and large-scale thinking our leaders bring to the table. It promises to propel our growth and strengthen the impact we can make in each area of the world. The African Section meeting will be in April.  

The Society has also convened an important new committee: The Committee for Equality of Access to Care, who will leverage our reach and influence to broaden access to care to those in need. The Committee will work strategically with other key organizations to ensure that Movement Disorders are recognized and supported by local and national governments, increasing the opportunities for research and access in those areas.  It will help oversee and harmonize specific projects targeted by MDS members and groups from our regional sections, allowing lessons learned from individual groups to help each other’s efforts. 

Another notable developing issue in the field are the recent articles on staging and classification of Parkinson’s disease, with new proposals that could change the way we approach both scientific inquiry and clinical care. In this issue, we feature a variety of perspectives on these emerging concepts, including not only MDS’s own statement, but also an important reflection of our role and responsibility to ensure scientific diligence and global representation in such wide-scale shifts in our field. 

All these timely issues will converge later this year in a lively 2024 International Congress in Philadelphia. Also in this issue, Congress Scientific Program Committee Chairs Drs. Maria Stamelou and Andrew Siderowf share a preview of what's new and exciting on the program this year, including exploration of both the cutting-edge advancements and the essential skills that to remain critical, even as the technology leaps forward. 

I remain extremely grateful for and excited by the opportunity of working with so many talented and dedicated members of our Society, and offer a big thank you to all of you.

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